An aqueous composition that is useful in all stages of handling agricultural products, in hospitals, and in commercial and household applications is disclosed, which comprises: (a) from 0.001 wgt % to 0.2 wgt % of an acid or salt thereof, that does not contain an -NH group and an -NH2 group, and (b) from 0.001 wgt % to 0.05% of an organic diol, wherein said composition (i) has acidic pH and (ii) has antimicrobial activity, wherein said acid preferably comprises an organic acid selected from the group consisting of citric acid, ascorbic acid, lactic acid, malic acid, octenic acid, oxalic acid, ursolic acid, hydroxyethanoic acid and salts of each of said organic acid, or an inorganic acid selected from the group consisting of ortho-phosphoric acid, chromic acid, hydrobromic acid, hydrochloric acid, nitric acid, sulfuric acid, and salts of each of said inorganic acid or it may be selected from the group consisting of acetic acid, adipic acid, benzoic acid, glutaric acid, isoascorbic acid, lactic acid, mandelic acid, phosphoric acid, propionic acid, salicylic acid, sorbic acid, succinic acid, tartaric acid, sodium acid pyrophosphate, acidic sodium hexametaphosphate, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid and salts of each of said acid, and wherein said organic diol may be selected from the group consisting of propylene glycol, ethylene glycol, 1,3-butanediol, 1,7-heptanediol, 1,2-octanediol, 1,5-pentanediol and polyethylene glycol.
